The Cedar House Support Group‘Embracing Support for Postnatal Depression’Registered Charity Number 1105686

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The Cedar House Support Group

Embracing Support for Postnatal Depression

The Cedar House Support Groups are for women who are experiencing postnatal depression. The groups provide a safe and supportive environment where mothers can get together with others who may be feeling similar to themselves. This helps their recovery by normalising feelings and reducing the sense of isolation that postnatal depression can bring, (see comments below)

The groups are facilitated by a trained and very experienced counsellor, Liz Wise, who had severe PND after both her children.

The Surrey group co facilitator is Charlie Fancy, a mother of two with a mental health nursing background. Charlie is also doing a masters in counselling.

Liz Wise is a specialist PND counsellor who has been supporting mothers and facilitating support groups for twenty five years. Having had severe PND after both her children( see Liz's story) she knows what a difference groups like this can make to a mother’s recovery. Liz sits on the committee for the Association for Postnatal Illness and has produced the DVD, Understanding Postnatal Depression.

The Balham Group

This group is at St Stephen's Centre( next to The Weir Link Centre) Weir Road, SW12 0NU, and runs every Friday , term time only from 10am to midday, a crèche is provided and there is road parking.

The Surrey Group (TONGHAM)

This group is at St Paul's Children's Centre, The Cardinals, Tongham GU10 1EFand runs every Wednesday term time only from 9.45 to 11.45am. A crèche is provided and there is free parking.

The Leatherhead Group

This group is at Leatherhead Trinity Children's Centre, Aperdele Road, Leatherhead KT22 7QT on Thursdays from 10am to midday. A creche is provided and there is free parking.

All the groups and crèches are free of charge and it is necessary to book a place for all groups.

If you know of anybody who may be interested in attending any of the groups, please contact Liz Wise on lwise@talktalk.net or 07773283556 for further details. All mails and calls are confidential.

All our groups are very relaxed and informal and you do not have to talk if you don't want to. Some mothers find it just as useful to come along and listen to others talking about their feelings, which will help to normalise your own feelingsand make you realise that you are not on your own with how you feel.

All our groups are totally confidential.

We also offer a partners evening once a term for your partner to come and hear more about what PND is and how they can support you through it.

Please feel free to contact me after the starting dates, as we often have space to join the group throughout theterm.

SOME COMMENTS FROM MOTHERS WHO HAVE ATTENDED THE GROUPS :

This group helped me so much by letting me talk about my feelings without being judged, in a very relaxed informal setting.

The group has allowed me to feel 'normal' again, get my confidence back and really start to enjoy my life and baby.

This has helped me understand that the feelings I have had are very common, normal and that I'm not a bad mother.

I never ever thought that by sitting with people that I didn't know for two hours each week would help me get better, but it certainly has and I'm made some great friends too!

I think the fact that the counsellor had had postnatal depression was really helpful, she could really understand and empathise with what we were all going through and feeling.

The group probably stopped me from going 'mad' and allowed me to gain perspective on my situation.

This group is brilliant and just fantastic that it is led by someone who has experienced what we are going through, not judged and very respectful of any comments made.

This group has saved my life and given me a chance to be with my boys.

This group saved me when I felt so hopeless and I learnt to communicate my feelings better with my partner which improved our relationship.

I don't know what I would have done without this group, I cannot thank the facilitators and the supporters of this group enough.